FRAGMENTS OF THE FUTURE: TRANSITIONS IN CONTEMPORARY ART- III
Fragments of the Future offered a glimpse into the shifting stories of identity, migration, urbanisation, and the merging of the old with the new. Through innovative mediums and deeply thought-provoking approaches, these trailblazing artists encouraged viewers to reimagine culture, challenge established norms, and reconsider the environments we inhabit.
Photo courtesy: Ajio Luxe Wkend 2025
Held from January 10 to 12, 2025, at Reliance Jio Garden, BKC, Mumbai, as part of Ajio Luxe Weekend 2025, this exhibition set a benchmark for artistic collaboration.
Let’s dive in and explore the visionary artists featured in this showcase:
Photo courtesy: Ajio Luxe Wkend 2025
Vasudha Thozhur
Vasudha Thozhur, born in Mysore, is a celebrated artist whose interdisciplinary practice is deeply rooted in painting. Thozhur’s significant contributions to art and pedagogy are captured in her book Diaries, Projects, Pedagogy 1998–2018, published in 2021 by Tulika Books in collaboration with the Sundaram Sher-Gil Foundation.
Photo courtesy: Ajio Luxe Wkend 2025
She displayed her recent works in Fragments of the Future. Her works Old Practices/New Landscapes I & II (2020) are large-scale oil paintings that reflect a decade of teaching and exploring the rapidly urbanizing countryside around Dadri. These dystopian landscapes juxtapose the real and the virtual, capturing the cultural shifts and tensions as agricultural communities are displaced by urbanization. Another of her works titled Love, Death, and Light: Remembering VK Murthy (Kaagaz ke Phool) (2024), pays homage to cinematographer VK Murthy.Through her painterly rendition, she evokes the technical brilliance and emotional depth of the film. The motif, though seemingly romantic, symbolizes unrequited longing and the tragic interplay of fact and fiction, making it a powerful meditation on emotion and memory.
Shadi Ghadirian
Shadi Ghadirian is a Tehran-based artist who explores themes of identity, tradition, and gender through photography. Ghadirian has participated in the Venice Biennale (2010) and the She Who Tells a Story exhibition, which toured globally from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. With works housed in collections at the Smithsonian Institution, LACMA, and the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Ghadirian impact on the art world is profound.
Photo courtesy: Ajio Luxe Wkend 2025
The exhibition displayed her Miss Butterfly series (2011) that tells the poignant tale of a woman, Shaparak Khanom, weaving intricate spider webs over her home’s doors and windows. These threads appear to protect — guarding the home from external threats — but carry a deeper symbolism of internal conflict. Shaparak’s yearning for light, freedom, and dreams contrasts with the confines of her protective barriers. The webs, often symbols of control and limitation, transform into bridges between the interior and exterior worlds, reflecting humanity’s dual desires for security and liberation. Through Miss Butterfly, Ghadirian invites viewers to confront their inner struggles: the tension between staying and leaving, between creating boundaries and seeking freedom. The series encapsulates the universal conflict of protection versus enlightenment, offering a moving metaphor for the human condition.
Vasudevan Akkitham
Vasudevan Akkitham’s art embodies the figurative-narrative tradition of the Baroda School, blending influences from pre-modern Indian painting with the emotive depth of the London School of figurative painters. His works often depict human and animal figures set against evocative interiors or dreamlike landscapes, drawn from memory. These scenes craft ambiguous narratives that delve into themes of nature, identity, and society, emphasizing poetic emotion over realism. For Akkitham, art captures the “presence of the unseen,” imbuing his work with a meditative quality. His celebrated works, such as Almanac of a Lost Year and The Distance, have been featured at prestigious events like the Kochi Biennale.
Photo courtesy: Ajio Luxe Wkend 2025
Photo courtesy: Ajio Luxe Wkend 2025
Akkitham’s art is rooted in a disciplined practice, focusing on his preferred media of oil on canvas and watercolor on paper. His showcased succinct yet evocative titles, Home, Reverie, Voyage, Departure; mirroring the elemental and archetypal symbols in his work: a boy, a ladder, a boat, the sky, fire, or an elephant. Each piece invites viewers into a visually compelling exploration of memory and emotion. Through his mastery of paint, Akkitham transcends its materiality, creating works that resonate with profound personal and universal significance. His art reflects not just a mastery of form but a deep engagement with the human experience.
Waswo X Waswo
Waswo X. Waswo is celebrated American photographer and writer. His hand-painted black-and-white photographs of Rajasthan’s people, set against dramatic cloth backdrops are highly acclaimed. Living in Rajasthan, Waswo’s art bridges the past and present, blending Mughal and Mewari painting traditions with contemporary themes of belonging and cultural exchange. His collaborations produce visually rich narratives that reflect both playful and profound commentary on identity, colonialism, and society.
Photo courtesy: Ajio Luxe Wkend 2025
Photo courtesy: Ajio Luxe Wkend 2025
The exhibition showcased the Owl Series (2024) that reimagines the owl, a symbol steeped in mythology and cultural duality. Drawing inspiration from Company School paintings, Waswo’s owl becomes an omniscient figure — a witness to history and modern societal spectacle. Representing wisdom in Western traditions and embodying irony in Indian contexts, the owl encapsulates the nuanced dialogue central to Waswo’s practice: respecting heritage while exploring identity and cultural contrasts. Another work, Temptation (Triptych) portrays Pan luring people into a sinkhole with mangoes. Flanking the centerpiece, two panels depict Waswo’s recurring alter-ego, the Fedora Man, and his partner Tommy being guided into temptation by locals, despite angels’ attempts to intervene. In A Day in the Country (2024), he captures a whimsical moment of Waswo riding his assistant Ganpat’s motorcycle through a herd of goats. This playful work, like much of Waswo’s art, merges humor with deeper reflections on cultural intersections and personal identity.
Photo courtesy: Ajio Luxe Wkend 2025
Photo courtesy: Ajio Luxe Wkend 2025
Venkanna
Venkanna is a dynamic contemporary artist celebrated for his powerful imagery and unconventional style. Known for his versatility and prodigious output, Venkanna’s work resides in prestigious collections worldover. Venkanna’s art boldly challenges societal norms, presenting an evocative lens through which viewers can confront the complexities of the human experience.
Photo courtesy: Ajio Luxe Wkend 2025
He displayed various works in the exhibition. In Black (2014), Venkanna’s expressive freedom and vivid brushwork create dreamlike, pulsating surfaces that embody his distinctive individuality, while Untitled (Fountain) (2020) marks a significant evolution in his oil paintings. He abandons rigid outlines in favor of soft, melting tones, crafting amorphic yet anatomically grounded figures that seem to float effortlessly, exuding a sense of control within their fluidity. In Dentata and Love Angels (2021), Venkanna delves into the unconscious, exploring themes of sexuality, gender, and societal constraints. Through masterful draftsmanship, he transcends reality to create symbolic narratives that confront issues of alienation, spiritual upheaval, and modern commodification.
Text by Shalini Passi
Image Courtesy: Ajio Luxe Wkend 2025
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